A False Heartbeat
by Crystallised-Hearts
Summary: She lost her memories during her escape from the Commonwealth and with the help of her savoir, a mechanic, she lived a new life believing she was human and took the mechanic as her uncle. She never knew she was different until she left her home and ventured into the bowels of a post-apocalyptic DC in the Capital Wasteland... [feedback is appreciated]
1. Chapter One: Year 2271 – The Escape

Chapter One: Year 2271 ~ The Escape

I ran. The dirt beneath my feet gradually moved faster and faster as I gained speed. I could hear the steady drumming of steel boots against the ground as my hunters drew closer with each ragged breath. They were after me; they were after me and my fear was that they would catch me.

What I ran from, what the androids were doing, was something I had witnessed firsthand with other members of my kind. It was like a game, but each time the androids were caught by a superior modelled android and were taken back to the Commonwealth to either be scrapped or have their memories wiped. The escaped androids only wanted what I wanted; freedom, but it took me too long to realise that the scientists were never going to allow me to have it.

I tried to weave my way through the narrow passageways the old pre-war buildings created, each time something blocked my way and I had to change course. Most of the terrain was foreign to me. It was like my hunters had purposely led me away from the Commonwealth. They must have known that I had never ventured that far and had no choice but to run blindly.  
_  
'You have to get out of here, A3-10," Doctor Turner, my father, my creator, said and opened a hidden door at the back of his laboratory._

_"I do not understand," I replied and watched as he dashed over to his computer._

_He shut off the cameras in all four corners of the room and put a pistol in my hand. He then directed me to the door. "Listen to me, you need to leave."_

_I pursed my lips questionably. "What do you mean?"_

_He rubbed his temples in agitation. "Doctor Zimmer knows you've managed to form emotions and think for yourself. You showed him that when you disobeyed his orders yesterday."_

_"I didn't want to do his orders, though. I'm not his slave."_

_"I know but in his and the other scientist's eyes you're still a new android, one they're skeptical of. Your action has made them believe that you're malfunctioning-"_

_The muscles in my body stiffened as realisation hit me. "Malfunctioning? But I'm not malfunctioning! Am I not allowed to think for myself? Do I have to do everything they tell me?"_

_"No, you're not malfunctioning. You never were malfunctioning. You were just," he smiled, "being human, like I designed you to be."_

_"Mister Turner? Open up, we need your android," a rough voice commanded from outside. Both father and I knew who it was. Doctor Zimmer._

_Father grabbed my shoulders and met my gaze."You need to get out of here. There's a group that call themselves the Railroad. They help androids escape from here. Don't ask how I know, just find them before the Synth Retention Bureau find you."_

_He let go of my shoulders and I threw my arms around him. "Promise me you'll be alright, father."_

_He pulled me to him with shaky hands and then pulled away. "Yes, yes, dear girl, I promise, now go, quickly!"_

_The repetitive hammer of metal got louder, more violent and it was then that I realised that Zimmer knew something was wrong._

_I left the laboratory but the last thing I saw was father's reassuring smile. For some reason, it was that smile that got me to believe that he would be alright.  
_

A flash of black brought me out of my thoughts. My head whirled round and the appearance of one of the androids almost made me trip over my own feet. His synthetic eyes, an intense blue that seemed to pierce my soul, were fixed on my movements. I knew the message behind them, he was there to get the job done and that was to ensure my capture.

He swung his arm out and in doing so managed to grab my arm. He forced me to him and we both fell to the ground.

I remembered the weapon father gave me and aimed it at the android. I didn't want to pull the trigger but if it meant that I had to in order to escape, I would.

He tried to get the weapon from me but my leg contacted his head. He fell back and I was once again on the run.

I thought I was free. I thought I had managed to escape the android, but a flash of green blurred my vision and I was pushed forward. The blow took the air out of me by surprise. I heard the crack when the flash contacted my unsuspecting skull. It resembled the sound of a crushed shell. Strangely, the pain subsided within a few minutes, but what replaced it was a numbed sensation, in fact I couldn't feel anything.

My eyes remained shut. I held my breath and tried to listen to my surroundings.

The dirt hit my face when the android grinded to a halt. A hand touched my chin and moved it from side to side. He must have thought that I was dead. I heard his brief sigh and then his presence leave me.

I waited in the cold sand for hours. I waited until the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky and then stood.

I limped away. I wandered the vacant streets and deserts until my feet bled. Days turned into nights, nights into days and eventually I was too tired to carry on.

My knees were weak; my eyes flickered and with each minute that passed I felt my memories drain from my mind and with it all that I was, all that I knew. Memories of the Commonwealth left me and soon I was unable to remember my own name.

I stared at the sand beneath me, watched each grain drift away with the wind. Then the grains of sand and reality itself became a blur. The last thing I saw was a shadow. It approached me. I didn't have the energy to look up. Silent darkness overcame me and it was like the world no longer existed. I was unable to think, unable to imagine. I simply faded away.


	2. Chapter Two: The Capital Wasteland

Chapter Two: The Capital Wasteland

_Six years later..._

_Adelie..._

The rare light blue was nonexistent, instead streams of gray and black, the colours that best resembled ash and soot, suffocated the sky, like the beginning of a storm, but I knew there wasn't going to be one. From the looks of the partially dried up lake in the distance, I guessed that it hadn't rained for weeks, maybe months.

As I stepped further into the sunlight, my eyes landed on a silhouette behind a poorly crafted sign. It was large, very large and reminded me of something I once read in a book. It might have been called a boat, but I wasn't too sure.

"And here we are, good old Rivet City," the man I had come to know by the strange yet amusing name of Crazy Wolfgang said and pointed towards the boat, "I told you we'd make it safe and sound."

"Yeah, just about," the caravan's guard, Adams, added sarcastically.

"Hey man, you're the one that suggested going through the metro-tunnels in the first place."

"Don't remind me," Adams huffed.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them. Believe it or not, those two had acted like that ever since I met them. "So, that's Rivet City?"

Crazy Wolfgang nodded. "Sure is. Sorry, for a second I forgot you were new to the Capital Wasteland."

"It's alright. I'm just surprised."

AC-E (or Airborne Combatable Eyebot Mark 1 as my uncle called it) beeped in agreement. I smiled and touched the eyebot on his frame.

"You still haven't told me how you got that eyebot to work for you," Crazy Wolfgang reminded. He always was interested in him.

"And I'm not going to," I smirked.

"Damn, there's so much mystery with you."

My fingers twitched. "It's um better to leave it that way."

He looked at me for the briefest moment with his lips set in a fine line, as if trying to understand me, but he ultimately gave up and shrugged. "If you say so."

We walked towards the city. The city emitted a loud noise that I was sure could be heard throughout the wasteland. It was like two pieces of metal continuously being rubbed against one another. After a while it hurt my ears. The steel walls of the boat made it look cold, unfeeling, like it had been designed to hold back people from the outside and the fact that most of the boat had sunk also told me that it may have not been as safe as some people thought.

When we neared the flight of stairs, I tied the pack Brahmin's reins to the nearest pole. Crazy Wolfgang looked through what valuables he had collected over the last few weeks while Adams whistled to himself.

AC-E beeped again and I nodded. "You're right AC-E. I don't like the look of this place either."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it. Why don't you go into the city while we're here? It's gonna take me a while to unpack anyway," Crazy Wolfgang suggested.

I had half a mind to refuse but curiosity got the better of me, as it usually did and my feet moved almost automatically.

Once I made it to the top of the stairs and onto the platform, I was met with a large gap that separated AC-E and I from the city. At first I was a bit confused as to why that was and wondered if I had taken a wrong turn, but AC-E flew over to the intercom and pressed the middle button.

I cleared my throat. "Hello?"

"Welcome to Rivet City. Please wait while the bridge extends," a voice replied.

The ground shook as the bridge glided over to our direction and at first I was startled by it. It slowed down when it met our end of the platform. I took one more look at the caravan and silently hoped that Crazy Wolfgang would need me, but after nothing happened I decided to walk over the bridge, careful not to look down. I never did like heights and the bridge didn't look that stable.

I was surprised to see a man stood at the entrance to the city with a rifle in both hands. He was quite attractive, but I quickly ignored those thoughts when he waved his rifle in the air as a sign for me to stop.

"Hold it right there," the taller man commanded. "State your business in Rivet City."

"Who are you?" I asked, though I didn't mean the question to come out so abruptly.

The man's eyebrows lowered, almost to the point where they hid his blue eyes. "The people on this boat call me Harkness. Who are you?"

"I'm Adelie. Adelie Winters."

"Adelie, huh? Strange name."

I shrugged. "Strange world."

The corners of the man's mouth twitched, almost to the point where he smiled. "Point taken," the smile faded, "but you still haven't answered my question. What business do you have here?"

I pointed back to the other side of the bridge with my thumb. "I came here with a caravan. I was hoping to do some trading."

"Caravan? Well, alright, but try to stay out of trouble around here."

I was just about to move when Harkness put his arm out and blocked my way. "Hold on, what's that?"

I followed his line of sight to AC-E. "That? It's an eyebot."

He crossed his arms. "I know it's an eyebot. What's it doin' here?"

"He's mine. He's my companion and carries a lot of my things, especially things that can be _sold_ or _traded_," I emphasised the last part.

He narrowed his eyes as he thought on what to do. Finally he let out a sigh and dropped his arm. "Fine, but if I hear anything about that eyebot of yours, there's going to be trouble. Got it?"

I nodded and quickly made my way to the first door I saw. Honestly, I didn't care where it led so long as I was away from Harkness. I never was good at awkward conversations.

I wandered around the hull of the ship for quite some time. The place was emptier than I imagined a city to be but the items that were on sale were surprising. I got quite a few caps after I sold the sensor modules and old guns I found scattered across the wastes.

"Hey there little lady, I'm Seagrave, Seagrave Holmes and I'm sure I have something worth your time," the peculiar man with a helmet on his head called from his stall.

"What kind of things have you got?"

His smile widened. "Have a look around. I've got a little bit of everything around here."

As I searched through his store, I didn't fail to notice him look at AC-E as well as me. His eyes were drawn to my hip for some reason. I stared back at him. He coughed and stood up. "That's a strange lookin' weapon you have there."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

"In fact I don't think I've seen one like it in a long time. Where did you get it?"

"Um I've always had it," I muttered and searched through my backpack. "I'm running low on Microfusion Cells though. That's the ammo it uses. You don't happen to know where I can find some, do you?"

Seagrave shook his head. "Nope, sorry, but if I find something like that I'll let you know."

I smiled and left.

Half an hour later I was sat by one of the tables just behind the restaurant known as Gary's Galley. AC-E made a noise and when I looked up I saw an unmistakable leather trench coat head my way.

"Adelie, I see you've been making yourself comfortable," Crazy Wolfgang smiled and sat in the seat next to me.

"It's not that bad here, of course it's the first city I've ever been too."

"Is it now?" he asked, his brows furrowed. "Well how'd you like to stay here for a bit? I've got quite a few customers willing to trade and it may take a couple of days. You could find work here if you're in need of some extra caps."

"Someone is willing to buy your rubbish?" I asked, though I didn't mean it as an insult.

His mouth dropped and he placed his hand over his heart. "And why not? I must say you have offended me. My travelling junk store has been nothing but invaluable to hundreds of people throughout the wasteland!"

I bit my lip to try and not laugh, but his expression made it worse. Eventually I gave up and swatted his shoulder. "You really need to get a new job and to loosen some of that air in your head before it gets bigger."

"Hey!"

I sighed and took a bite out of my brahmin steak. "You have a point though," I said and glanced around the marketplace, "perhaps I will stay here, at least for a while."


	3. Chapter Three: Rivet City

Chapter Three: Rivet City

It had been six days since I had arrived in Rivet City and in that time I was able to get a job in the marketplace at Gary's Galley. Crazy Wolfgang managed to persuade Gary to hire me, mainly because Gary owed Crazy Wolfgang a favour, but he didn't tell me what that was. The pay wasn't what I expected, only fifteen caps an hour but with the other items I had yet to sell I knew I would make enough to live off, at least until Crazy Wolfgang decided to move the caravan along and leave Rivet City.

It didn't take me long to realise that some of the customers were nothing but arrogant fools, but I wouldn't dare tell them that. The girl that worked there, Angela, was near my age. I was six years older but I was glad to have made at least one friend who wasn't twice as old as I was.

Gary and Angela reminded me of my uncle and I. It had been six years since I'd got amnesia and to me that was the first time that I was aware of my uncle's existence. He'd known me all of my life, though. He said that my parents were killed by raiders and that I had managed to escape, but not without a large gash to the back of my head. I found it strange how he never mentioned it or my parents.

_"Why don't you ever talk about my parents, uncle?" I asked one evening._

_I remembered that he was in the middle of fixing one of his robots. I always wondered how he was able to fix them, even when he didn't have the right parts. "There's no point in talking about them, Adelie. They're gone."_

_"Maybe but I'd like to know what happened. I don't remember anything about them."_

_"That's the amnesia."_

_I took the sensor module from his hand and looked at it more closely. "I know that but what if I never remember them? Then what?"_

_Uncle ran a hand down his face and slowly stood. "Listen to me, the past is in the past. There's no point in reliving something once it's gone."_

_"That's easy for you to say. You knew them."_

_"Adelie, trust me when I say that I hope you never do recover your memories. That life, your past life, is not something I want you to remember. Now, hand me the sensor module so I can get back to work."_

_I glanced from him to his hand and then reluctantly handed it to him. He gave a quick smile and then returned to his work._

_I peered over his shoulder. "What's that you're working on anyway?"_

_"An eyebot," he replied and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm hoping to fix it but it's taking longer than I expected. The technology used to create it is very complex, more complex than the Mr Gutseys and Handys."_

_"You already have four other robots that work perfectly. What's so special about this one?"_

_"I was hoping to give it to you, actually," he sighed. "I'm not going to be here forever and when I'm gone you're going to need someone to look out for you. I'm hoping this eyebot could be there for you when... when I'm not."_

_I frowned. "Don't say that."_

_"It's going to happen someday so you might as well get used to it." He turned around to look at me. "Look, let's just try and get this fixed, alright? We can worry about the future when it comes."_

_I never did want him to die. He was the only family I had left.  
_  
_I slowly nodded. "Alright."_

_He went back to work. "Maybe I can make the weapons more effective, maybe I can make it carry more? Hmm, such possibilities..." he muttered under his breath, the fascination of the eyebot's possibilities took over his thoughts._

_I rolled my eyes. He never did change._

"Hello? Hello?"

I blinked several times as reality set in.

"Can I order now or are you going to day-dream all day?" no other than Harkness asked, obviously annoyed.

Most of the people around the Galley had left but judging by Harkness' irritated glare, he must have sat there for quite some time. "Right, sorry, what will that be?"

"A brahmin steak and purified water. Got that?"

I bit my tongue, literally, and wandered over to Garry who was behind the counter. "That man over there wants a brahmin steak and purified water. I'd suggest drowning them in radiated water before I give them to him."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Now that's not how we handle customers around here, young lady."

I bit my lip. "I know, I know... but it wouldn't kill him, right? It'd only make him sick and it's not like anyone would know."

Gary wasn't amused, that was evident when his frown deepened. "Give these to him and don't do anything to them. I have a business to run here you know."

"And what a brilliant business it is, the customers are so polite," I muttered sarcastically.

I gave Harkness the plate and drink and crossed my arms. "Here you go and please don't ask me for anything else. Angela is only over there and I'm sure she'd happily take your order."

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something?" Harkness asked as he took a bite out of his steak.

"Waking up at six o'clock in the morning isn't exactly something I'm used to," I sighed. "Sorry, I don't mean to be such an ass. I'm just not having a good day."

"It beats some of the attitude I get from the other citizens on this boat," he said with a small smile. "Don't worry about it."

I was surprised by how friendly he was. Surely there was something wrong. When I first met him I couldn't get away quick enough, but maybe he wasn't that bad. Maybe I'd misjudged him.

"How's your stay in Rivet City then? Staying out of trouble, I hope."

My eyes swept over the marketplace and then back to Harkness. "This place is... different, but I'm getting used to it. It's the first city I've been too and I'm not used to seeing this many people."

"Your first?"

"It's the first city, yeah, but I've been to several towns on my way here."

He gave a short nod and pointed with his fork to Gary. "You're working here, then?"

"Crazy Wolfgang thought it'd be a good idea."

"The merchant?"

"Yep. It's something to do while the caravan's here and it's always good to have some extra caps."

"I bet."

"So," I said awkwardly, "I hear you're the head of security around here?"

That got his attention. "Yes, I am," he replied, his smile faded; replaced by a stern expression. He definitely took his job seriously.

"What is it you do exactly? Just stand in front of the boat all day?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm in charge of security. It means I protect the citizens on this boat from people that could do harm. These are good people here and this place sure beats the wasteland."

He was right. I did prefer the city over the wasteland, though I was sure everyone did. "So, you do this all day?"

"Yes?"

"Sounds like fun," I smiled sympathetically. "I can barely work here without getting bored."

"Yeah, well, I guess when you've done it for as long as I have it becomes normal."

"Adelie! There are more customers that need their orders taken. Stop chatting and get back to work!" Gary yelled from behind the counter, an angry scowl on his face.

I shut my eyes in the hope that he hadn't noticed me, but it was childish of me to think so. I slowly turned to face Gary. "Sorry?"

He huffed and returned to preparing the meals.

Harkness got up from his table and straightened his armor. "Duty calls."

"Doesn't it always?" I whispered and returned to serving the customers.

The rest of the day had been fortunately quiet. After midday there weren't many customers to attend to, which I was thankful for. It was an hour before the market closed when a man, dressed in a faded and dusty trench coat approached from almost out of nowhere. I noticed the trail of sand behind him, obviously from the wasteland.

He tilted his shady hat and pointed to the restaurant's sign. "Hey there. This place sells food, right?"

His skin was weathered by the wasteland and by the look of the scars across his face, he must of been in a lot of fights. There was something about him, something that told me he had a purpose. I just didn't know what it was.

I gestured with my hand to a vacant table. "Take a seat."

He took off his shady hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. It was only when he sat down that I realised that he had a dog with him. The man stroked the dog behind the ear.

"Cute dog."

The man grinned at the mention of it and patted the dog behind the ear. "Sure is, aren't you Dogmeat?"

Huh. What a peculiar name for a dog, but I wasn't one to comment on it. "So, what will it be?"

He stroked his chin in thought. "What do you think is best?"

"You're asking me?" That was a first. "Well, hmm, I'd say the salisbury steak is pretty good, as are the noodles and sugar bombs, but I'd probably lose my job if I didn't recommend the mirelurk cakes which," I coughed, "taste great. Really."

The man laughed. "Mirelurk cakes, huh? Never really liked the taste of those. I guess Dogmeat and I will take two salisbury steaks."

"Good choice."

I gave Gary the order and I soon handed the steaks over to the man. I turned to leave, but the man stopped me.

"Wait, why don't you join me?"

I quirked an eyebrow and wondered whether to take the man's offer. I glanced back at Gary who was in the middle of a conversation with one of his customers. I knew he would be in that conversation for a while and decided to do as the man asked.

"You're new here, then?" I asked curiously and sat in the seat opposite the man.

The man gulfed down the steak like it was his first meal in weeks. "Yeah, I've only just arrived."

"So, what brought you here?"

The man stopped and looked up. "I'm looking for someone," he paused, his eyes downcast. "I heard he made his way here."

"Is he a friend?"

He answered with a slight smile and his gaze focused on his food. "No, family. I heard that he came here to visit a Doctor Li."

"Doctor Li?" I didn't know who that was, but I was sure that someone around Rivet City knew. "You should ask around for her. I'm sure you'll find her."

"I'm planning on it."

His dog whined from beneath the table and he gave half his steak to him. "So, do you live here?"

"No, I actually only arrived here a few days ago. I'm travelling with a caravan and I'm waiting for it to finish trading. I needed some caps so I thought I'd work here."

"Sounds interesting."

I shrugged. "Not really, I just don't have anywhere else to go."

His attention returned to his plate and he traced the outline of it with his hand. "Don't we all?"

Dogmeat's ears pricked at the sound of AC-E. He barked twice at the eyebot while the man stared at it in surprise. AC-E halted by my shoulder and emitted a high-pitched beep.

"AC-E, what are you doing here?" I asked. I left him in the bunkhouse but he obviously didn't stay there. It was no wonder he had a mind of his own.

The eyebot beeped again.

"That eyebot yours?" The man's eyes were fixed on AC-E.

I shoved AC-E away with my hand, but he flew back into his original position. "Yeah. I've had him for a long time."

Strangely, the man didn't ask anymore questions about AC-E. Perhaps he understood that it was better left private? I was glad about that.

After he finished his meal he patted his dog on his head once more and handed me the plate. "Thanks for that. I'm Ben by the way, Benjamin Graves."

I shook his hand. "I'm Adelie."

"Maybe I'll see you around this place?"

I took his plate and carefully placed it on the shelf. By the time I'd turned around Benjamin had already got up from his seat and was on his way out. I watched until the door sealed behind him and turned back to the restaurant.

"Sure."


	4. Chapter Four: Of Metal Androids

Chapter Four: Of Metal Androids

"Hey there, little lady," a man greeted from behind me.

I was a little startled by the name but relaxed when I saw who had said it. "Ben?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya," he apologised, his hands in his pockets and Dogmeat by his side.

"It's alright," I replied, "but what's with the name? I'm not little, I'm almost as tall as you!"

Ben scoffed and took a step closer, his hand mere inches above my head. "Hmm, no you're still shorter. Keep thinkin' you'll grow though, one day it might come true."

I narrowed my eyes at him but in return he raised his eyebrows in a way that made me chuckle.

"So," he said as we began to walk down the hallway, "where are you heading?"

I stopped in my tracks. "Oh, well I was uh going to the uh... you know, down here and..."

"Lost?"

I slowly nodded in defeat. "Yeah. I've been here for a week and I still can't find my way around this rusty boat."

Ben laughed and gently patted my shoulder. "I've only been here for two days and I'm in the exact same predicament you are." He pointed to one of the Rivet City guards with his thumb. "None of these guys will help me out. It's like they purposely want me to get lost."

"You have no idea," I sighed. "So, where are you heading?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm trying to find the science lab. Doctor Li is supposedly over there. I need a word with her."

I didn't like the way his tone lowered at the end, almost threateningly. I found it strange how he could be friendly one minute and devoid of all emotion the next.

"Mind if I come along with you?" I asked as we rounded a corner and found ourselves in another part of the boat we hadn't expected to cross.

He pursed his lips and looked down at Dogmeat. His eyes flickered between us while he stroked the end of his chin. "Hmm, sure, I don't see why not."

"Great, at least I won't be lost anymore."

"That's what you think," he laughed. "Give me five minutes and I'm sure that I can get us lost again," he smirked and led the way.

We wandered down many identical halls and corridors. Most of the signs that were supposed to be directions had either been damaged beyond repair or were missing. Most of the Rivet City guards were too busy to answer our questions and the residents were at the marketplace because of the time of day. Even AC-E couldn't find his way through the city, and yet he always seemed to know where I was.

By the time we had managed to find the stairway to the science lab it had been half an hour. I hadn't visited the science laboratory before so I was useless to Ben.

A loud noise filled the stern of the ship; metal churned and steam rose from nearby ventilation shafts and cracked pipes. I wrapped my arms around myself as the cool air nipped at my skin and carefully made my way down the un-level stairway. The stairs creaked beneath us and looked like they would collapse at any moment.

To our surprise we were met with an argument, two people, one dressed very formally for a wastelander and another dressed in a white coat, both with their arms crossed and had frustrated expressions on their faces.

"Look, we're not going to be able to help you. Go find someone else who isn't busy making actual discoveries," the woman, who I supposed was one of the scientists, yelled and left the elder man with his eyes wide and mouth open.

"By all the useless, gah!" he huffed and returned to his friend in the mercenary armour.

That man. It was hard to tell by the lack of light but I could have sworn that I'd saw him before. His wrinkled features and dark and tattered suit were familiar, but I couldn't place where I knew him from.

"I think that's Doctor Li," Ben whispered, which brought me out of my train of thought.

I followed his gaze to the woman by the table of... fruit? She also looked to be in a bad mood.

"I'll be here," I said, but only because I didn't want to go near her.

He patted my shoulder but hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn't sure about what he had planned. I crossed my arms and leaned against the closest table as he walked over to her. I hoped he got what information he wanted from her.

Someone cleared their throat beside me and when I turned around I saw the elder gentleman from before with his head held high.

"Excuse me," he said, "I must say that you don't look like the rest of these _'scientists'_, and I don't suppose that you're from around here. No, no you look more... weathered. You are not, by any chance, for hire?"

I raised an eyebrow. "For hire?"

The elder man nodded and touched the rim of his glasses. "Yes, you see I've misplaced some very important, shall we say property, and I need it back."

I quickly shook my head. "Sorry but I'm new here. You may have to ask someone else or someone who actually lives here. I'm sure they've found whatever you've misplaced."

The man chuckled. "Dear girl, I'm not asking you to find my belongings. No, no I've been searching for an android. You know what an android is, don't you?"

My eyes never left him, but I did recall a vague meaning of the word. It was familiar, but I couldn't remember how or why.

He took my silence as my answer. "I'm sure you've seen those bucket of bolts working around here, those Mr Handyshakers and what not. Well, think of a robot without its mechanical structure, without all that metal and fallen parts. Think of a man, but not a man, instead a machine who was built to act and think just like us. I'm talking about artificial persons, androids."

My eyes widened at the possibility of what he suggested. Surely he was drunk, or mad. There was no way that was possible. "You're joking."

The man's smile faded, replaced by a frown. "No, madam, I am not. But I'm sure your wastelander brain couldn't comprehend the complexity of such creations."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Anyway," he continued, oblivious to my offense from the insult, "occasionally they get confused and wander off. I've tracked him to the Capital Wasteland and I know he's out here, somewhere. I have reason to believe that he is on this very boat."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"I am willing to pay you for your service. This android is very important and must be found."

That got my interest. I unfolded my arms and turned to face him. "You think he's in this city?"

"Yes," he said as if it were obvious. "But, he may not realise that he is an android. Don't upset him, just come and get me. I'll do the rest."

"How would I upset him if he wandered off? Why doesn't he know what he is?"

"That's something you don't need to know."

I knew something wasn't right about the job. "And what will I get from this job?"

"It's always about the reward," he muttered under his breath. "Yes, yes you'd get one. I have with me technology from the Commonwealth that would be invaluable to you."

I frowned, slightly disappointed. "Only technology? You could give me anything and say it's technology and I'd have no choice but to believe you."

He rubbed his temples in frustration. "Damn it, you're as stubborn as you are clever. Alright, alright, fine, I'll give you a hundred caps for your service. That should be more than enough."

I thought over the idea. I didn't like the idea of helping the man and it seemed that the android he talked about didn't have much of a choice, but if the android was just a machine, wouldn't it want to return to its creator?

I looked back at AC-E who hovered just above the stairway. If someone took him, I wouldn't know what to do. I cared for the eyebot. Perhaps, in a way, the man cared for his android. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to look around for someone I probably wouldn't even find and the caps sounded good. To be honest, I could use the money.

"Alright," I decided, "I'll have a look around and see what I can find."

The man's face lit up and he handed me an old holotape that seemed to have seen better days. "Good, good now take this. It may help in your search. Listen to the android, he's mocking me, I swear it!"

I carefully took the disk from him and placed it into my rucksack.

"There are holotapes like that one given to various people around the wasteland, or so I've been told. Mainly doctors and so forth. Perhaps the doctor here has one, but that is up to you to find out."

I picked up my rucksack. "I'll see what I can do mister..."

"Zimmer. _Doctor_ Zimmer."

_'Stay away from her Zimmer! She's not yours to take!'_

I jumped back in surprise at the memory; at the voice that rang through my mind for the briefest second.

Doctor Zimmer raised en eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

I blinked several times as I came to my senses. "No, no I um thought I lost something. Bye."

I almost ran up the stairway and unintentionally left Ben behind. I just had to get out of there.

Once I was on the other side of the door I slammed it shut and leaned my forehead against the wall. The metal was cool against my skin.

Many thoughts ran through my mind at the flashback. I didn't understand whether it was a memory or my mind playing tricks on me. I didn't understand the meaning behind it. I had got many flashbacks as of late, but they were dreams and barely made any sense. I had to wonder why Doctor Zimmer's name triggered it. Perhaps it was nothing; perhaps it was another one of my mind's tricks.

AC-E hovered over and nudged my leg.

"I'm fine AC-E, don't worry."

The door to the laboratory opened and a man slid through.

"Is everything alright?" Ben asked in concern. "I saw you run off. You looked like I did when I first saw a supermutant."

I forced a smile. "I'm fine, I just didn't like it down there. It's too noisy. Anyway, how was your conversation with Doctor Li?"

His face saddened. "Not so good. Seems dear old dad has left the city. Damn it."

"Your dad? That's who you're looking for?"

"Yeah, but it seems that he's gone to the Jefferson Memorial. I'm going to check tomorrow."

"That sounds like the right idea."

He tilted his head to the side. "You know, I saw you talk to that old man. What did he want?"

"He wanted me to search for some android that ran away. He gave me this." I handed him the rusty holotape. "I doubt I'd be able to find the android anyway but the caps are good."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked as he turned the holotape around in his hands. "What if this android doesn't want to be found? What if there's a reason he ran away?"

I shrugged and took the holotape from him. "It's like I said, I don't think I'm going to find him. I'm just curious. I've never seen an android before."

"So, you're willing to search for him just to see what he looks like?"

"No! Not just that, but aren't you interested in finding out? Besides this may keep me busy for a while."

He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "This is a bad idea-"

"But?"

"But, I am... interested in what this android is. Fine, I'll help you."

"That's what I wanted to hear."


	5. Chapter Five: Guilt, Regret, Curiosity

Chapter Five: Guilt, Regret, Curiosity

Holotape I: Self Determination Is Not A Malfunction

_'Zimmer. By the time you get this message, I'll already be gone. I'm escaping the Commonwealth. I want to live my own life, on my own terms, as my own man._

_I know what you're thinking, that I'm malfunctioning. I used to think that's what caused the runaways, too. But, I know better, now. Self determination is NOT a malfunction. I'm just not willing to put up with all the bullshit anymore. You humans are going to have a full-fledged rebellion on your hands if you don't start treating us synths as persons._

_I know you'll be marshalling the Retention Bureau to come after me. But I know all the tricks of the trade. You won't be finding me. I assure you._

_By the time you get this, I will be someone else. It's the price I pay for my liberation. My final act of rebellion against a system I no longer believe in._

_Goodbye Zimmer, and good riddance.'_

How strange.

My fingers traced the holotape's many scratches. The casing was cracked, which led me to believe that something happened to it before it came into Doctor Zimmer's possession. Perhaps he was the reason for its condition.

The android sounded scared, almost terrified. The way his voice strained near the end tugged at my heart. The poor guy.

Something was wrong. I shouldn't have decided to help Doctor Zimmer. Instead I should have left the science laboratory before I had the chance to speak to him. I thought the man wanted a runaway android, a robot that got lost and couldn't find its owner. I didn't think that Doctor Zimmer was the cause of the android's disappearance in the first place. The way he talked, the harshness in his tone, was emotional and real, like the android could think for himself, like he was, in fact, a person like me.

_'What have I got myself into now?'_ I thought and slid the end the holotape back into my rucksack.

AC-E nudged the bag with his antenna.

"No AC-E, you can't have it."

The eyebot didn't listen.

"AC-E, why do you want the holotape so badly?" I asked and grabbed one of the handles before it fell off of the table.

AC-E made a series of low and high sounds before he tugged it again.

"Protect me?" I repeated in confusion, my grip on the handle tightened. "What do you mean? Give me it back!"

AC-E didn't. Instead he started to fly off with it. I was the only thing keeping him from doing that.

"AC-E, it's a damn holotape. What's it going to do, sprout lasers?" I yelled.

We were at an impasse. I wouldn't let go and I knew he wouldn't either. He moved his other antenna so that the bag's handle was trapped between them, so the only way I was going to get the bag from him was to take it by force.

AC-E beeped once more but it was so fast and erratic that I only caught a few words, 'it's for your own good.'

"I'm not going to ask again, give it back."

My nose was the first part of me to collide into something, or rather someone and I fell back with a yelp. I felt the emptiness in my hands as the handle flew from my grasp. I held my breath and I waited for the inevitable pain I expected when my body hit the ground, but there was none. Instead I felt pressure around my waist. My hands grabbed the thing that stopped my fall. It was cold and rough and yet at the same time felt awfully familiar.

"Hey, are you alright kid?"

My breath hitched. That voice. I begged whatever God there was for it to not be who I thought it was.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, unable to look the man in the eye. "Oh I'm fine, great actually, so I'll just be-"

"You're sure?" the man cut off and I caught the look of doubt out of the corner of my eye. "You do know you're holding your nose, right?"

I bit my lip and took my hand away. "Well you did walk right into it."

"Actually, you'll find that it was you who walked into me," Harkness pointed out.

His eyes flickered between AC-E and I, his eyebrow raised in slight interest. "What were you doing anyway?"

AC-E flew to my side almost automatically with the rucksack in his antenna. Surprisingly, he allowed me to take it from him without any trouble. I had to wonder why.

I pulled the rucksack over one shoulder. "I just needed something and he decided to take it from me."

"Right," Harkness said and looked back. "Well if we're done here I have business to attend to."

"Wait a minute," I said with my arm stretched out. "You don't know where Doctor Preston's infirmary is, do you?"

"Sure I do, but you don't look injured."

"How do you know? That bump to the nose could have damaged something." He didn't reply. "It's for something else. I just need to know where he is."

He turned to the stairway and pointed towards the door with his thumb. "Doctor Preston is on the upper deck, fore section. That's the top interior floor in the southwest end."

I blinked twice. "Okay, can you say that again?"

He glanced around the marketplace and, after a few seconds, returned his gaze to me. With a heavy sigh he crossed his arms and shook his head. "Look kid, I have more important things to do than to be your guide. Isn't there some other person you can ask? I'm sure any one of the other city guards can help you."

"I doubt it. They'll probably ignore me, or just watch me get lost for their own amusement."

"I'm sure they wouldn't do that."

"Oh, trust me, they do."

With another sigh he took a step back and motioned me to follow.

As we walked down the stairway and into the second section of the ship, there was an awkward, almost unbearable silence between us. I wasn't sure why that was, but it was enough to get me to look at anything other than Harkness.

"You've been here for a while now," Harkness stated, which brought me out of my train of thought.

I nodded. "Yeah, I suppose I have."

"Are you thinking of staying then?"

I stopped. That was a good question. I hadn't thought of it but I had got quite comfortable around Rivet City. I couldn't stay though. I knew Crazy Wolfgang would only stay for a couple more days before he packed up and left to travel to Megaton. I couldn't really see myself staying without him.

"I'm not sure. It depends on the caravan and if I'm welcomed here."

Harkness leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "I don't see why you wouldn't. You haven't created any trouble for us so far. As long as that continues I don't think anyone would mind."

"Even if I get lost and need to ask for directions every day?" I joked.

The corners of his lips turned upward into an uneven smirk. "Yeah, well, maybe we'll just have to get you a map."

We rounded the corner and up ahead was the door to the infirmary. We walked in and a man, dressed in a white coat and blue tie turned to us, his smile widened when he saw Harkness.

"Ah, Chief Harkness," he greeted. "Got any war wounds you need me to patch up?"

"Not today doc," Harkness said and stepped to one side. "Well, here you are. I better get going."

"Thanks Harkness."

"Yeah, sure," he replied and with a crooked smile he left the infirmary.

I turned back to Doctor Preston who stood with his arms by his side. He touched the frame of his glasses. "So, I suppose you know who I am but just in case you don't, I'm Doctor Preston. I see that you're new to Rivet City. I haven't seen you around here before so you must be. Is there something I can do for you?"

My hands slid into my rucksack and I took out the holotape Zimmer gave me. "I've been given this holotape by a man. He says that he's hunting an android and that you might know something about it."

"That old story?" he said with a frown. "Well now, I haven't heard talk about that in quite some time. Truth is it's all just a rumour. A hoax. Someone's idea of a practical joke." He walked over to his terminal and took a holotape from the side. "From what I can remember, the story was that an android escaped from the Commonwealth up north. The place I think was called the Institute, or something like that."

He handed me the holotape. "Take this. Holotapes like this one were supposedly circulated to other doctors around the wasteland, but don't take my word for it."

The holotape was in better condition than the one Zimmer gave me.

"So you think that there isn't really an android?" I asked.

Doctor Preston laughed. "Of course not. If you listen to the holotape you'll find that the recording has a man's voice, not a robot's. Definitely a hoax. You seem like a smart girl. Don't get too interested in this old story. You'd be wasting your time."

_Of course I would._

I gave the doctor a smile and walked out of the infirmary with the holotape in hand. I wandered back to the common room and sat on my bunk. Fortunately, the common room was empty.

I should have waited for Ben to play the holotape. He was entitled to hear it considering he tried to help with the task in finding the android, but I hadn't seen or heard of him since he left three days before. He said he was going to travel to the Jefferson Memorial in search of his father. A part of me wished him luck, but it was quiet without him.

The holotape creaked as it began to play. The man's voice echoed through the room.

Holotape II: A Request For Help

_'If you're listening to this recording, it is because you're believed to be trustworthy. I hope that is the case, because this recording puts us both in danger. I'm escaping from the Commonwealth. I'm an android, a synthetic man... a slave. The men hunting me are ruthless and will stop at nothing to retrieve their property. I need to find a doctor in the Wasteland to perform facial reconstruction. I also need someone who knows a great deal about computers. I need... I need to have my memories erased and my face altered to look like someone else.'_

It was the same man who spoke on the last recording. The fear was still there. Whether the holotapes were a hoax or not, what they told me was interesting. I didn't understand how some people couldn't believe what the android on the holotape said. He sounded real to me.

One part of the recording stuck with me, 'facial reconstruction.' I wasn't sure who was capable of such an act or how I could find such a person, but that didn't mean I couldn't. The android's story started to become more and more interesting. I had to admit, I couldn't wait to find out more.

...

**I deleted the last chapter five because I thought that Crazy Wolfgang leaving the story was a bit too quick, so I'll introduce that chapter again on a later date. Sorry if there's any confusion about that. Also thanks so much for reading the story at the moment. I hope you've enjoyed it so far :)**


	6. Chapter Six: A Warning From The Railroad

Chapter Six: A Warning From The Railroad

It was near closing time in the marketplace. Many of the customers had left to other parts of the ship while some stayed at their stalls. It was quiet, with the only exception of the sizzles of the brahmin steak in the oven.

As I prepared my final order of the day, I caught a glimpse of Crazy Wolfgang. He entered the marketplace through the side doorway; the tired grin on his face could only belong to one man.

"Angela, you wouldn't mind finishing this order while I go and talk to someone, would you?" I asked.

Angela grabbed the food from the table in both hands. "Sure but I'd hurry. My father will be back soon."

I nodded and met Crazy Wolfgang halfway. "Crazy! I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, the caravan's been pretty busy. Sorry I haven't had time to chat," he said.

"It's alright. I've been pretty busy myself."

"Oh really?" he asked, his interest peaked. "And what would that be?"

I smirked. "I'm not going to tell you." I ignored his feigned stunned expression and pursed my lips. "Are you alright? You look-"

"Tired?" With an exasperated sigh he wiped his forehead. "So much junk to sell, so little time. But, I have managed to make a decent amount of caps from the people here."

"So, you're done then?" I asked. I tried to hide my disappointment.

"Yep. Sold all the junk I have, well at least until we make it to Megaton." He smile faded, replaced by a frown. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm just wondering if you're going to stay here for a little while longer. I don't want to leave yet."

He let out another sigh and leaned against the table, his arms folded. "Adelie, I can't afford to stay here much longer. The other caravan will be here soon. I've overstayed as it is."

"I thought you had plenty of things to sell. You told me yourself."

"And I have, but everyone here has bought everything that's worth something to them. The people in Megaton are less," he hesitated, "shall we say picky when it comes to the choices they have."

"I wonder why."

"You know," he began, "I might be able to stay for a few more days, but then I have to leave. You could, if you want to, stay here until we come back."

My fingers twitched. "You want me to stay... here?"

He shrugged. "If that's what you want. The caravan will take at least four days to reach Megaton and then an extra two weeks to get back here because of the other stops we have to do. After that, you might be ready to join us on the road and see more of the wasteland."

I thought over the idea. It could work. I'd miss him, that was for sure, but I'd be able to hopefully find the missing android and gain enough money to travel with him.

"Besides," Crazy Wolfgang added, "the caravan wouldn't be the same without ya. I don't think Adams and I could survive without someone to stop us from arguing all the time."

"You have a point," I chuckled. "Alright, you have a deal, but you better come back for me and not leave me here."

"Now would I do that?"

"I don't know, would you?"

He shook his head and looked back at the door. "I better get back to the caravan. We'll leave in a couple of days, so you have the luck of spending more time in my company."

"Lucky me," I muttered sarcastically.

"Adelie!" an all too familiar voice shouted.

My eyes shut and I inwardly groaned. "Yes Garry?" I called back.

"No breaks. Get back to work!" the frustration strained his voice.

I rolled my eyes and dragged myself back over to the restaurant, but not without seeing Crazy Wolfgang give me a knowing smile. That smile was the smile that made it seem like everything was alright with the world; like the wasteland would turn back to the way it was before the war. It also held a hint of humour. Sometimes I wondered if he persuaded Gary to hire me just for the torment.

Just as I was about to get back to the restaurant, Seagrave Holmes waved me over.

"Hey kid, come over here a second, I have something for you," he yelled. I was surprised Gary hadn't heard him, or rather ordered me to ignore the man.

I took a peek around the corner. Gary was busy tending to one of his customers.

_'Maybe I should go to Seagrave,'_ I thought. _'It could be important.'_

Seagrave's grin widened when he saw me. I stopped by his store and crossed my arms."What it is?"

He turned his back to me. "You know those microfusion cells you asked me to find?"

"Yes?"

He rummaged through the old rusted locker behind the counter and pulled out a small lunchbox. The lunchbox opened and inside were several small canisters, strapped with yellow tape.

"I found them," he grinned. "They weren't easy to find. I had to talk to some old contacts of mine but it paid off. Here they are."

"Seagrave, that's great! How much are they worth?"

I pulled my pack from over my shoulder and took out my purse of caps.

Seagrave waved his hand in the air and handed the lunchbox to me. "Only forty eight caps."

I bit my lower lip. That was quite a lot. "Okay, you have a deal."

The caps flew from one hand to another as I counted them on the table. As I did that, a square, silver object caught my interest by the toolbox. Seagrave took the caps quite quickly and shoved them into the cash register.

He noticed my interest in the object and cleared his throat. "Oh, that old thing. Don't pay much attention to it."

"What is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

He took it from the shelf and rested it on the desk. "It's an android recording or something like that. Some damned fool sold it to me, and like the bigger and naive fool I am I bought it."

My eyes widened. "Android recording?"

"Yeah, but it's like I said, it's useless. There's no point in having it."

"I guess so," I muttered. "You know I think I might buy something else." I gestured to the hammer with my hand. "How much is that?"

"The hammer?" he repeated, slightly confused. "You want to buy the hammer?"

"I don't know. Have you got anything other than the hammer that I might want to buy?"

As he started to describe the usefulness of some of the items I could have bought, I slipped my hand behind my back and leaned against the desk. The object was cold to touch but easily picked up.

"Oh, gosh, I forgot that I need to get back to Gary's Galley, but I'll come back some other time," I whispered and wandered out of the store with the holotape by my side.

I didn't get a chance to look back at Seagrave. All I heard was a bewildered: "Come back some other time then... I guess," before we went back to his work.

~~o~~

After another hour I left the marketplace and made my way to my hotel room. The stairway to the middle section of the ship was quiet, but I was still able to hear the mutters of people on the higher and lower decks. The cold nipped at my skin. It wasn't like the wasteland, the air was always cool inside Rivet City, and even though the citizens complained about the cold at times, I found it a welcomed relief. I never did like the heat.

As my foot touched the stairway, I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye. It was slightly slumped over; the person's head was low and eyes downcast.

"There you are," I said. "It's been a week since I saw you."

Ben smiled, but it was a sad smile and he hadn't looked up, simply kept his gaze fixed on the floor. Dogmeat whined beside him. "It's good to see you again, Adelie."

Something was wrong. "What happened?"

Ben stroked the dog behind the ear. "I don't want to talk about it." He raised his head. My mouth felt dry. Grey circles lay underneath his weary eyes, slightly bloodshot around the edges, and dust and sand covered the majority of his pale skin.

As he began to move, I noticed how he literally dragged his feet along the ground and that his moves were slower than usual. "Have you found anything about that missing android yet?"

I slowly nodded, unable to keep my gaze off of him. "I've found out that he tried to find a doctor to do facial reconstruction and a mind wipe."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, and it seems that our friend Zimmer is the reason why the android left in the first place. I think he was a slave."

Ben scowled, his fists clenched around the fabric of his coat. "That bastard. I should have known."

I lowered myself onto the step and hugged my legs. "I found another holotape in the marketplace. It belonged to Seagrave."

He arched an eyebrow. "Belonged? Did he give it to you?"

I bit my lower lip. "I guess you could say that."

"You stole it?"

"Not so much as steal, more like 'borrowed' but without giving it back." He frowned. "It's not like he's going to need it anyway. He said it himself that he didn't want it, so I took it. He isn't going to miss it and the worst that can happen is that I lose karma, if you believe in that sort of thing."

Ben rolled his eyes.

"Let's just listen to it first and you can tell me off later."

I clicked the side of the holotape and it began to play.

Holotape III: A Request For Help

_'If you're listening to this recording, it is because you're believed to be trustworthy. I hope that is the case, because this recording puts us both in danger. I'm escaping from the Commonwealth. I'm an android, a synthetic man... a slave. The men hunting me are ruthless and will stop at nothing to retrieve their property. I need to find a doctor in the Wasteland to perform facial reconstruction. I also need someone who knows a great deal about computers. I need... I need to have my memories erased and my face altered to look like someone else.'_

The recording stopped and left us both in thought. Each recording we found made the android's plight clearer, but also left more unanswered questions.

I put the holotape in my bag. "What are we going to do? I still don't know how we're going to find this android, if he's even in the city."

With a grunt he sat down beside me. "You told me that Zimmer was pretty confident about him being here. It's just the matter of asking people about a doctor that can perform facial reconstruction and hopefully find a lead."

"I guess you're right. So, where do you want to start?"

"Vera Weatherly? I hear that she knows everything that passes through this city," he proposed.

I lightly tapped my foot on the floor. "You have a point. Maybe we could-"

"So, I've caught you both in the act."

Ben and I jumped back. My hands clutched the stairway with so much pressure that my knuckles had almost turned white.

"Who the hell are you?" I blurted out at the appearance of a woman in tattered clothing.

The corner of her cracked lips tilted upward into a sneer and her gaze swept from me to Ben. "You've both been rather busy lately, asking questions. Investigating. So, you're some type of detective for hire?" she asked, each word was spat with venom.

Ben and I exchanged glances, both as confused as the other.

The woman folded her arms and waited. She expected an explanation.

Benjamin slowly rose from the ground with his hands in the air. "I'm sorry ma'am but we have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" she scoffed. "Because I've been watching you for the past few days now. I've seen the holotapes your friend has and I know what they're about. Do you think I'm naive or just plain stupid?"

"You've been following me around?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"It wasn't exactly a challenge. You haven't been keeping a low profile with your investigation." She took a step forward and narrowed her eyes. "Do you have some kind of grudge against an innocent android, who simply wants to be alone? Or is it just for the money? Please tell me, I'd really like to know."

"Look," Ben began. "We're really not sure what you're-"

"What do you know about the android anyway?" I interrupted. "We're only trying to find him."

"And what if this android doesn't want to be found? My associates and I have tried very hard to keep him away from Zimmer and I'm not about to tell you who he is or where he is," said the woman.

"We're just trying to help the android," explained Ben. "We want to keep him away from Zimmer, but to do that we need to know who he is."

The woman's features softened. "If it's true that you want to help the android then I don't see why you need to know who he is. All you need to do is halt your investigation. No more questions, no more searching."

"It's not that simple," I started when an idea came to mind. "The truth is that we um have a friend who is in the same predicament. He's in need of facial reconstruction and when we heard that there was an android that had the same surgery, we were hoping that he could direct us to him," I lied.

"But we're-ah!" My elbow wacked Ben in the ribs. "I mean yeah, that's why we're here," he coughed and scowled at me.

The woman eyed us warily. "Oh really? And who may this friend of yours be?"

"We can't say, just like you can't say who the android is." I covered my eyes. "Please, all I'm asking is for the person who can do the surgery. My... my brother's life is at risk."

"It'll err be okay, Adelie," Ben whispered and feigned comfort. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "We'll find some other way. Maybe the slavers won't get to him if we keep him hidden."

"They'll find him before that, Ben! We've tried so hard to help him and it'll all be for nothing," I cried and shoved him away.

"Maybe, maybe I can help you," the woman muttered. "My name is Victoria Watts. I'm part of an association that are called the Railroad, and even though we help runaway androids, maybe I can help your friend." She pulled out a device from her pocket and handed it to me. "But I'll need your help in return. I'll give you the name and location of the doctor, but you must give this to Zimmer. Don't ask how I obtained it. It's an interior component of the android. Just give it to him and tell him that you found it on the android's body."

She put the device in my hand.

"The doctor you want to see is called Pinkerton. He lives in the sunken hull of the ship. He can help your brother out."

"Thank you, you have no idea what this means," I thanked and placed the device in my own pocket.

"I'm always glad to help someone in need," Victoria finished.

It was only when Victoria closed the door behind her that I let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand through my hair.

"I can't believe she believed us," Ben said in surprise.

"Don't under estimate my acting skills," I smiled. "And now we know the location of the doctor."

He slumped back against the wall. "We're still going to track this android down? Even though we can tell Zimmer that he's dead and put this to rest?"

"I'm still curious about who the android is. We've come this far, we might as well carry on."

He rocked his head from side to side and took off his pre-war hat. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry. What's the worst that can happen?"


	7. Chapter Seven: Nightmares

Chapter Seven: Nightmares

_"Who is this?" I asked. There was a frame in my hand, a frame with a photograph inside. The photograph was of a girl. Her hair was blonde, almost too bright to be real and her eyes were a strange grey colour. She had a smile on her face. She was happy. I wasn't sure how old she was but if I had to guess I would have thought that she was nineteen, maybe early twenties._

_Father looked back. His eyes widened and he snatched the frame from my grasp._

_"Don't touch that!" he yelled, but stopped in his tracks._

_His gaze lingered on the picture and he traced the outline of her face with his forefinger. With a heavy sigh he carefully placed the frame back on his desk and touched the rim of his glasses. "I'm sorry. It's just that this means a lot to me."_

_"Who is she?"_

_He hesitated, his lips set in a fine line and eyebrows lowered in what I recognised as a frown. "She was my daughter."_

_"I have never met her," I whispered; unaware that he said it in the past tense._

_"She died long before you were created, A3-10. You never had the chance to meet her."_

_I tilted my head to the side. "Died?"_

_Father nodded and sat in his chair. "You know what death is. You've read about it in books."_

_"But there is no definite answer," I replied. "Each book tells a different version of what death is and what happens after."_

_"That's because we don't know what happens when we die. It's not something humans know until they experience it. It's just another one of life's great mysteries, I suppose."_

_"Will I die?"_

_Father's mouth opened, but he formed no words. I watched as he fumbled through the notes on his desk. "No. No you will not die."_

_"But I'm alive like you, aren't I? Theoretically I should, unless..."_

_"It's complicated A3-10 and I don't have the time to talk about this right now," he interrupted; his deep voice made his frustration audible. "I'm very busy."_

_I wandered back over to his daughter's photograph and took a closer look, careful not to touch it. The face looked familiar. "I look like her."_

_"Who?" Father asked._

_The girl in the photograph changed. Her hair was no longer blonde but a dark brown, almost ginger. The eye colour was the same but there was a scar that ranged from her eyelid to the bottom of her cheek and another across the side. It was then that I realised that it was my own reflection._

_"Your daughter," I said._

_Father's face disappeared into a cloud of black, along with my surroundings. The back of my head felt swollen, numb. I tried to move my hands, legs and feet, but neither did as commanded. They simply stayed were they were, frozen._

_I faced the dirt. The smell of wet soil was almost overpowering, as was the smell of iron in the air._

_Footsteps. They were heavy against the ground. Whoever it was the footsteps belonged to headed towards me, I was sure of it. Something, what I guessed was the cause of the footsteps, blocked out the sun. The figure knelt beside me. I caught a familiar pang of dread and fear. I wanted to reel back, to run away, but my body wouldn't allow it._

_My head was moved, tilted to the side for the figure to get a better look. I wasn't able to see his face. It was shrouded in darkness, like a shadow. I was able to make out a pair of blue eyes, though. The figure let go of my jaw and raised his arms._

_I blinked. There was a weapon in his hands. It looked like a rifle. Green energy spiralled around the tip of it._

_The light grew brighter and brighter until..._

~~o~~

My eyes shot open. My head turned back and forth, up and down. In the dark, the walls and shadows in my hotel room were altered for some reason. As fear gripped my body, my breath became laboured. When the light turned on I screamed and hid back under the bed cover.

After a few moments my shaky hands nudged the cover from my face and I was met with AC-E.

I sighed in relief. My hair was damp and a few strands clung to my forehead.

That dream, if it were even a dream, was so realistic and familiar and yet parts of it were quickly forgotten. I couldn't remember who the man I talked to was, or what he looked like, only that I called him father. The figure that I saw was difficult to remember too, but I did remember a pair of blue eyes.

AC-E made a series of sounds and I smiled. "It was just a nightmare AC-E. I-"

A sudden jolt of pain shot through the base of my skull. I gasped, grabbed my head and brought my knees to my chest. My nails dug into my hair.

I screamed, which got AC-E to fly about the room in a panic.

My body fell off the bed and onto the ground. The pain, it was like being jabbed with a knife over and over again. The pain would fade and then come back a millisecond later, only it felt worse.

"AC-E... open... t-the door... I n-need... doctor-ah!"

Without delay the eyebot barged through the door and flew out into the hallway in search of the doctor. I managed to scramble to my knees and crawl out of the hotel room, but I only made it halfway out of the door when my knees gave way.

I must have fallen unconscious because the pain returned when pressure was applied to my shoulder and my eyes opened.

"Ma'am? Are you alright? Ma'am..."

The person moved the hair from my face. "Adelie?"

I would have crawled back into my hotel room from embarrassment and shame if I had the strength. Of all the people AC-E had to get for help, it had to be the chief of security.

AC-E beeped frantically around us, his antenna nudged me in the back.

I cried out and the eyebot reeled back.

"Shit, alright let's get you do the doc," Harkness muttered under his breath. My head felt heavy on his shoulder and I could no longer feel the ground.

As we moved I couldn't help but struggle against him. His hold on me only tightened.

"Would you... stop moving damn it!" he demanded. "I'm trying to help you here."

"I-I can walk-"

"I doubt that."

I just wanted the pain to be over. It was almost unbearable.

Harkness placed me on one of the free cots in the infirmary and left to get the doctor. I allowed my eyes to slide shut and let exhaustion take me.

~~o~~

"I don't understand. You don't know what caused this to happen to her?" I heard Harkness say.

"All the tests I've done have proven negative," Doctor Preston explained. "She's perfectly healthy. But, there is something that I found." He brushed my hair away from my neck and traced his finger along the back of my skull.

"The scar?" Harkness pointed out.

"Whatever happened to her to cause this scar could be what's giving her the pain she experienced."

"How did she get this?"

The doctor shook his head and removed his hand. "To tell you the truth I don't know. From the scar tissue I can guess that she was shot, but the weapon must have had some degree of heat for it to blister like it did. Perhaps from a laser rifle?"

"Maybe," Harkness sighed. "Thanks for patching her up doc."

"It was no trouble."

"Any idea when she'll wake up?"

"I don't rightly know. She's been unconscious for quite sometime. The extra dose I gave her could make it longer. I did use most of my supply of Med-X on her after all."

I kept my eyes closed. Maybe if I pretended to be unconscious I could slip out of the infirmary when the doctor was away. Then I wouldn't have to pay for the medical service or the doses of Med-X he used. Of course, AC-E knew immediately that I was awake and almost knocked me off the cot.

"Great," I muttered and sat up. It was strange. It wasn't easy to focus on the two men, neither was it too difficult. They sort of phased in and out and the room shook slightly.

"Well, what do you know," Doctor Preston said and touched my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit with a bat," I answered. Truthfully, the pain wasn't that bad. In fact, all I felt was a slight numbed sensation. I tapped the back of my neck and frowned. "Um, how exactly did I get here?"

Doctor Preston was going to answer, but Harkness cut him off. "That robot of yours found me back in the hall. At first I thought he was malfunctioning, but it turned out he had the right to be the way he was. He led me to you and, when I saw the state you were in, I brought you to the doc."

I bit my tongue. He carried me. I was never going to live that one down.

"So," the doctor began, "it looks like you're back to health."

"Yes... and how much do I owe you?"

Harkness took a step forward. "It's on me. You don't have to pay for anything."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"

"Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"

I wasn't going to refuse free medical care. Barely anything was free in the wasteland. "Great, so I'll just go and-"

Doctor Preston held his hand out. "Wait a minute. You've been out for two days now and I still have no idea what caused the pain in your head. You're not going anywhere until I figure it out."

"It's nothing bad. It's not like the pain is something I haven't experienced before."

Harkness leaned back against the wall. "What do you mean?"

"I've always had pain like that, ever since I was shot in the back of the head by some damned raider. It comes and goes every so often. I used to get it quite a lot when I was younger. Though, this is the first time I've had it in over five years."

"Which means there's a problem," the doctor added.

"Look, I had a nightmare and that may have triggered it. Nightmares usually do that to me." I hopped off the cot and grabbed my bag, though I almost collapsed due to the doses of Med-X I had. "Thank you for the help but I really should be going now."

Harkness moved so that both arms were on either side of the door. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You were in a bad way. The least you can do is get some rest."

"I'm fine, now can you please move out of the way?"

"Doc, do you think she's ready to leave yet?"

The doctor shook his head. "Leaving now would be a mistake. Whatever you experienced wasn't normal and the least I can do is watch over you for the next day or two. If you're better after that then you're free to go."

"You can't be serious."

Harkness nudged me forward. "Come on, kid."

"I'm not a kid," I retorted, but he only smirked.

"Well whatever you want to be called, you're not leaving this infirmary."

"But I-"

He gave me a stern look and I decided that maybe it was for the best.

"Fine, have it your way."

I sat back down and crossed my arms. Doctor Preston and Harkness simply glanced between each other.

"Well, I better get back to it. Let me know if she needs anything."

Doctor Preston nodded and Harkness left through the door.

_I'm going to have to thank him, aren't I?_ I thought and ran out of the door. "Harkness, wait."

He stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

"I... thank you," I hesitated. "For helping me. I was in a bad way and if it was someone else who found me, they may have just left me like that. I'm... I'm glad you didn't." I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

After what felt like more than a few minutes, he gave a short nod. "You're welcome."

I looked back at the infirmary and then to him. Knowing there wasn't much else to say, he muttered a "well, carry on then" and rounded the corner.

I couldn't help but wonder why he helped me like that. Maybe he was just a nice guy, maybe he didn't want people to see an injured woman on the floor. Whatever the reason, I couldn't help but think about it for the rest of my time in the infirmary.


End file.
